Paper thin
by Thornpaw of Clawclan
Summary: Icepaw can't hunt, can barely fight, cannot seem to talk to anyone, she has no idea where she came from. She's different. She's lonely. And when a certain someone..or something threatens the forest, she needs to get her act together.


Sasha writhed in pain. Her fur was coming out in clumps, her claws digging into the delicate lining of her soft basket. She raised her head and hissed to nobody. She couldn't be more uncomfortable. The light was switched on and the bright light stung her eyes. Her house folk were sat in front of that awful moving screen. She hated it. She hated this!

Damn Tom. That damn kitty pet inflicted her with this. She glanced back at her two legs, feeling her anger drop slightly. She loved them; they didn't have to see this. Sighing she hopped out of her basket, pelting across the carpet which caught in her long claws.

She gave one final look back. Nobody had seen her, apart from Toby, the strange dog which made the awful yapping sound at anything. He stared at her with murky dark eyes, his floppy ears twitching.

She blinked at him and then slid outside, through the cat flap that clamped down on her tail. It was dark outside. She stood still, assessing the situation, trying to block out the pain. Night had taken over the sky, turning it jet black, slightly illuminated by stars that shone above her head.

She could hear crickets in the distance. They calmed her slightly. If it wasn't for that foul forest lover kittypet she could lay on the smooth stone brick wall in her own garden, listening to them in the warm summer breeze.

But no! She shook her head, and leapt over the garden wall, landing elegantly on the other side, feeling the earth beneath her claws and the shower of leaves she brought up with her swishing tail.

She knew exactly where she was going. Shaking dirt from her whiskers she bounded away into the night, hoping to pass unnoticed from prying eyes. Nobody needed to see this at all. This was her burden and hers alone. For the time being anyway.

The streets were empty and cold; only long shadows that seemed to try and engulf her. She ignored them and reached the edge of the abandoned night streets and the beginning of the field of long grass and poppies that swayed in the gentle breeze.

She paused to regain some breath and continued, dragging herself through the thick grass barrier that surrounded her, going over her head. She found little paths supposedly made by field mice and followed them, her claws swiping to clear her way of grass and poppy petals.

Then she finally made it. The barn. It looked gloomy in the darkness. But it was her only place where she'd be safe for this. She made her way in, dodging broken slats and splintery pieces of wood that pricked her pelt.

She leapt into the prickly spiky hay and settled down on her heaving flank, prepared. She saw two pairs of glowing amber eyes in the darkness of the barn. "Zina, Zain" she greeted them wearily. The pale grey littermates blinked at her in surprise. "Sasha?" said Zina curiously, jumping down next to her.

She could scream in frustration, she just wanted to be left alone. "I'm fine!" she screeched through a large horrible contraction that left her misty eyed and gasping for breath. Zina jumped back in alarm, and charged back to comfortable rafters she was laying on before.

Blood pooled over the hay. Zain twitched his nose apprehensively as it polled around his paws. But he didn't yowl and run. He sat beside her. Sasha growled, gritting her teeth as another contraction sent agonizing pain spasming through her body. It all hurt so bad, from the ends of her ears to tips of her claws, every hair on her body burned.

The first one was coming. The first poor creature. She felt her body convulse and heave. She screamed in pain and shook, slicing her claws through the bright red strained straw one which she laid one. The kit was small, tiny and white, half covered in blood. It lay still. Sasha wanted to move it but couldn't, she was too weak.

Instead Zain instantly picked him up and laid him next to her belly. The little white scrap started to suckle weakly, barely able to keep upright. As the night dragged on five more of her and Toms mistakes were born.

It was very late night now, or very early morning. Dew was begging to form on the grass outside, and the peak of the early morning sun was shining past the tops of the great pine trees that lay ahead, dark and mysterious.

Five kits lay at her belly. The little white tom, another white tom and another white she kit, and a black tom with a white chest, and a small inky blue black she kit. Time to bury the dead. She knew not all of them would make it.

Zain touched his nose to hers. "Are you going to get it over with?" he asked briefly. His eyes looked pained. The pale grey tom clearly cared for her. It had killed him what happened with the foul black tom. Sasha nodded, licking her paw and running it over both ears.

"Need help?" he asked as she clamped her jaws around the black and white tom kit. He was surprising heavy. She winced and nodded her head wearily, still aching and sore, and so exhausted. She could fall asleep standing at that very minute. She picked up the second large white tom and started to pad off into the eerie darkness.

Zain picked up the first born tom and the white she kit, his tail held high in the air as a sign of confidence. She could see his face fall as soon as he touched her white daughter. She was dead….right. She knew that her second born son was also dead, well, nearly, his heart rate was slowing and his body was so cold and limp in her jaws.

At least her black and white tom was healthy and alive. She felt a rush of affection for him. He reminded her of her first son, Hawk. She almost purred at the memory. But her heart was too heavy.

"Zina, we need your help, carry the black she kit over there" the grey she cats eyes were slits in the darkness. She hesitantly got to her paws and jumped down next to the pool of blood the black she kit was lying in limply. She shook off some of the thick dark blood and picked her up by her scruff.

She trotted up to the forest edge. The deep dark pine scent almost took her breath away. It looked at her openly, as if inviting her in. But she knew she'd never make it. But he kits might.

Zain and Zina lay down the weak kits by her paws. Poor cursed kits, they were so tiny, so perfect. They didn't deserve this. Zain nudged Zina and they padded back towards their barn home, leaving Sasha with the cool night breeze tugging at her fur, the soft earth beneath her pads, the grass under her claws, the blood staining her fur.

She examined her five kits. She'd name them. Pointless but she felt she needed to. Her first born, Clear Sky. She had heard stories about that cat. She liked the name. His blood drenched pelt underneath was like a clear winters sky.

Her second born son, he was alive, for now. She'd raise him in the barn if he survived. He had short flat fur and big black nose. She'd call him Coal. She licked his too warm pelt. She could barely believe these were toms kits. In the far off distance she heard an owl hoot, its talons were dug into the tree branch it was resting on.

She smiled when she turned to the fluffy black tom with the white underbelly and paws. He had half open big blue eyes. She'd call him. Talon. He'd defiantly survive. She felt she loved him the most. She'd take care of him and Coal all right.

Then she turned to her daughters. Her long furred white daughter was dead, and even life she'd be deaf. That would be a harsh life. She sniffed and licked her fluffy cheek sadly. With a heavy heart she turned to her final kit. The black she kit.

She looked weak, and had small paws. She'd never make it as a hunter. Unlike her brothers, she wouldn't be able to help Zina and Zain hunt mice. No, and her twolegs didn't like other cats. Maybe she wanted one kit to be free.

"Zina, Zain!" She called. The two cat's heads emerged from a sideways slanted board of wood. They looked at her expectantly, Zina looking a bit irritated. "Would you carry back my sons?" she asked. Zina huffed but followed her brother over.

Sasha nosed over the white tom to Zina. "This is Coal" she explained. Zina nodded, softening slightly and taking the tom in her jaws, she scampered back. Sasha smiled and handed Talon to Zain. "His names Talon, he'll help you hunt round here" she dug her claws into the dirt, and laid her son and daughter in the ground. Without a second glance she filled the dirt over their heads. She felt her heart grow heavy.

Zain rubbed his head against hers comfortingly. "What about the dark she kit?" he asked, his voice muffled. Sasha shook her head. "She's useless" she said, her voice wavering slightly. The sun was coming up, casting a beautiful golden light onto the roof of the barn, and outlining Zain silver.

The pale tom winced at the word. "I'm taking her into the forest" she said. Zain looked shocked. "To die!" he cried indignantly. Sasha didn't look back. "To the warriors" and with that she dived into the forest, instantly covered by the ferns and bracken and towering trees that hid the sky.

She had barely walking for minutes before a body was rammed into her. A dark brown tom with a white underbelly. He hissed as she was rolled into the dirt. Her kit lay on ground, still, but mewling. The small tom leapt on her, sinking his claws into her pelt. "Say goodbye kittypet!" he cried.

"Stop!" a voice shouted. Sasha was shivering with fear. A black she cat with prickly fur leapt to the brown tom, bowling over with a sharp blow. "Get off her Stoatpaw!" she growled loudly. Sasha jumped up, standing over her kit protectively.

The tom gave his chest fur a few embarrassed licks. "Sorry Hollyberry" he mewed, shuffling his paws. Hollyberry sighed. "We do not talk like that to kittypets, we question them" her green eyes narrowed and her gaze shifted to the kit. "Especially mothers" she added. Sasha blinked, she was terrified but stood her ground.

Two more cats came jumping over a fallen tree covered in ferns and hopped next to Hollyberry. A long legged auburn she cat and a dark grey tom. Stoatpaw reluctantly fell in line beside Hollyberry.

"This is Autumnfur and Smokestep" Hollyberry introduced her friends. Sasha narrowed her eyes. "What are you and that scrap of fur doing here?!" growled Stoatpaw. Hollyberry cuffed him round the ear the apprentice hissed in pain. "Keep your jaws shut!" she ordered.

Sasha spoke up at last. "I want you to take my kit" she picked up her daughter and placed it between the ginger she cats paws. Autumnfur gasped and bent down to pick up the kit, her eyes round with amazement.

Hollyberry tilted her head sideways. "Why?" she asked. Sasha didn't want to say it, but she had to. "She's useless, I don't want her, I want her to be free, please, take my half kitty pet half filthy rouge mistake, please take her from me" she begged. She hated what she was saying but she couldn't stop now.

The wild cats looked horrified. "Do what you want with her, kill her, drown her, use her pelt to line your nests, I don't care, just don't let me keep her" she yowled. They didn't need to see the tears, so she ran. And she was gone.

Leaving the four savage strangers with her mistake of a daughter, who she loved too much to keep.


End file.
